The 3 Pillars of Thane Marcus

Connect | Collaborate | Inspire

Why these three words? What's the point?

These words make up both who I am (my personal strengths), and who I feel created and called to be.

On the most basic level, an important aspect of these words is that each one is a verb. Verbs denote some type of action, and action is essential to progress of any kind. Our time here on earth is limited, and I am passionate about taking action, daily, in order to make the most of the time God has given us.

The other aspect of these words that speaks to me is their sequential nature. I’m all about “process”, and for process to be effective, there has to be an order - a sequence that it follows. While none of these verbs individually dictate the following verb, they logically lead to the next, if done well. My goal in life, and in my pursuits, is to not only do something, but to do it well.

Another factor to consider with these words is their object. The object of each these verbs is people. Humans are the only objects of eternal value here on earth, and because of that, I want to maintain a focus on how I can best serve, encourage, assist, and exhort others to be all that they are created to be. That is my inspiration.

The last shared component of each word is their life-giving ability. These three verbs are the three things that give me the most life (which further confirms the calling), but they also further enable human flourishing as a whole - something that I am always for.

Individually, each word speaks to an important aspect of my being:

Connect

Every single person has a story - a life filled with experiences, memories, and life-shaping events. Connecting means: not only meeting someone, but striving to understand them through hearing their story. Listening to learn how someone has arrived at where they currently are is a great joy for me, and, being in L.A. allows for an endless supply of unique and diverse people to connect with.

Collaborate

Playing professional golf allowed for many incredible experiences and opportunities, but one component that doesn’t play a major role in the world of golf is: collaboration. With golf being such an individualized endeavor, I longed for the joys of collaboration. This was filled partly through the podcast I created with my friend Adam Setser (The Up & Comers Show), but it was still something I wanted more of.

Collaboration is the idea of bringing two powerful forces together in order to amplify the ability of both parties. Humans are capable of incredible things, and by working together as a team, the sky is the limit. Each of us have specific ways in which we are gifted - personal strengths that are naturally greater than those around us. Yet, equally so, we have plenty of weaknesses. Developing our strengths and improving our weaknesses is an important part of maturing throughout life, but it is never as effective when done in isolation. Partnering together with others, who can fill in the gaps where we are lacking, humbles us to recognize that we aren’t superhuman, and equally, demonstrates to us that others aren’t either. It levels the playing field and encourages support rather than opposition.

Better together isn’t some cheeky concept; it’s the human experience. And collaboration is a way to walk through the front-door of what living the good life can be.

Inspire

The definition of “inspire” is: to “fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” Another way to say it is - to have a positive impact on someone through what you do or say. The order of these words is important, because if our goal is to “inspire” others first, and then connect or collaborate after, we are missing the point of inspiring in the first place. This is really the difference between inspire and influence.

When our main goal is to cause someone to do something, we are focused on influence. But, if our main goal is to connect and collaborate in order to improve both our capacity and others, then the natural outflow of that work is inspiration. To inspire is to see the fruit of the labor that results from the other verbs in action. It’s not a social media thing, it’s not a next month kind of thing, it’s not a part-time endeavor, it’s not a two-faced lifestyle. It’s a product of being committed to long-term goals, others-focused living, and having the discipline required to sacrifice the pleasure of today for the reward of the tomorrow, over and over again.

As James Clear said best, “inspiration only reveals itself after perspiration.” ... Time to get to work.

"Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our full potential."